Love for lights shines to help hospital

Love for lights shines to help hospital

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Adam and Lindee Hilker are again lighting up their home at 63 Taylor Ave. for Christmas in honour of Adam’s father who died in 2011. Last year, the display raised $700 for the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Trees of Caring campaign. This year, the Hilkers hope to raise $1,000.

A love for Christmas lights is turning into a legacy for former Cambridge resident Barry Brewster, and a chance for improved health care in the city.

For the second year, Brewster’s stepson Adam Hilker and wife Lindee are carrying on his passion for Christmas light displays by lighting up their 63 Taylor Ave. home in an appeal for donations for Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Tree of Caring campaign.

The festive fundraising project, dubbed Bulbs for Barry, was launched to honour Brewster, who died in the summer of 2011 after suffering a heart attack and battling cancer. He died at the age of 56. The Hilkers chose the hospital as the beneficiary after being impressed with the care Brewster received in and out of the hospital.

Last year, the lights display raised $700 for the hospital’s foundation thanks to local residents and businesses who wanted to show their appreciation. This year, the Hilkers hope to top that by raising $1,000. As of this week, they have already raised $270.

Hilker said he and his wife didn’t have to think long about how they wanted to keep his stepfather’s spirit alive by supporting a worthy cause.

“When we were looking for ways to ensure other families like ours received the same level of support from CMH, we could think of no better way than to raise money for the hospital to ensure they can continue their great work.”

While the lights project is a non-traditional way of supporting the foundation’s annual Trees of Caring campaign, its spirit blends perfectly with the foundation’s own ideas. One of the foundation’s campaigns offers donors a chance to light up bulbs on its massive evergeen trees located at the entrance, for a donation.

“It’s really nice that they’ve taken the idea of the trees and lights and done it in their own way,” said Sue Lockett, development officer at the foundation.

Donations to the Bulbs for Barry can be made by visiting the 63 Taylor Ave. home or by donating online at www.cmhfoundation.ca/events.htm, or by call the hospital’s foundation at 519-740-4966. Tax receipts can be provided for donations of $20 or more.

More information about the display is available on Facebook at http://goo.gl/V303Z.